Britain`s Spiders – A Field Guide (WILDGuides of Britain & Europe, 21)

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The most humane way to capture a spider is to trap it beneath a wide-rimmed glass and then slide a piece of card under the glass to make a lid and contain the spider inside. Then release the spider unharmed into the garden. Do spiders crawl up plugholes? False widows attract attention as being one of the few British spiders capable of delivering a venomous bite. However, they will only do so if they are trapped or squashed, often in clothing.

Now in a comprehensively revised and updated new edition, Britain’s Spiders is a guide to all 38 British families, focussing on spiders that can be identified in the field. Illustrated with photographs, it is designed to be accessible to a wide audience, including those new to spider identification. The kindest thing anyone can do is let them outside. They are only looking for one thing, and that's the lady spider,' says Hine. House spider surprises

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They are common in Australia but have been introduced accidentally to parts of the USA, Pakistan, India, China, and Japan.

Despite its dominating size and being technically venomous, a bite from a cardinal spider is quite rare and regarded as painless. A complete list of the spiders recorded in Britain, indicating the ease of identification as well as rarity and conservation statusThis interesting insect, known as the Lace-Webbed Spider, is brown with yellowish marks on its abdomen. The species can grow up to a foot wide - and its bite can cause heart palpitations and vomiting Credit: Getty Britain’s only subaquatic spider is reddish brown and grey, streaked, but appears silver because of an air bubble over its abdomen. It makes an air-filled silk-stranded diving bell in pond and stream weeds. Head and body 15mm. False widow ( Steatoda nobilis) According to the National History Museum, the false widow spider was first recorded in Britain in the 1870s, 'likely a stowaway on cargo ships from its native Madeira and Canary Islands.'/Credit: Getty This terrifying little creature, known as the Woodlouse Spider, looks all the more alarming than your typical insect.

Of the 33 spider families represented in Britain, 21 are featured in this chart. The guide includes colour illustrations and a table with identification features, habitat and methods of prey capture for the 40 spiders featured in the chart. There are around 650 species of spiders found in the UK. However, only some of them, most notably the false widow spider, are capable of delivering a bite that is considered deadly to humans. The largest species of spider in the UK is the cardinal spider at 12 cm leg span, while money spiders are the smallest at around 2mm. They become more visible during the autumn, though the spiders are active throughout the year.

Corinnidae - Ant-like sac spiders

Reports of extreme reactions are more likely the result of related infections from exposure of the wound. Jones, D. 1983. The Country Life guide to spiders of Britain and northern Europe. Littlehampton: Littlehampton Book Services Ltd. Out of print.

When it's a good summer, but not bone dry, it's good for a lot of insects, which is the garden spider's main food. Hine explains, 'In years like this more of them reach their maximum size and there's enough food to support more of them.' Brazilian salmon pink bird-eating tarantula originating from northeastern Brazil, South America Credit: Alamy Most species of spider in the UK live for a year or perhaps two. Those that live indoors with fewer predators are more likely to live for two or three years. The garden spider is the UK's most common orb web spider/Credit: Getty How many eyes do spiders have? Make sure to keep your house as clean as possible to find as few spiders as possible. When is UK spider season? There is no easy way to prevent spiders from entering your house. They are harmless and, indeed, may provide a service by ridding you of unwanted flies and other insects.

Huntsman spiders are renowned for the enormous size, with males able to achieve a leg span of between 25 to 30 centimetres. British Spiders a field guide is one of the latest publications in the popular WILDGuides series. Other books in the series can be explored here